1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ice maker assembly in a refrigerator and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly, to an ice maker assembly in a refrigerator and a method for controlling the same, which allows an accurate detection of an amount of ice kept in an ice container.
2. Background of the Related Art
As sizes of refrigerators become larger, there are refrigerators, not only with large sized refrigerating chamber and freezing chamber, but also with composite functions with various convenient devices, such as an ice maker, dispenser, in the market.
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the refrigerator with such composite functions, referring to which a related art refrigerator with composite functions will be explained. The refrigerator is provided with a freezing chamber 1 and a refrigerating chamber 2, and there is a dispenser 4 provided in a door of the freezing chamber 1 such that a user can use water or ice selectively without opening the door.
Paths for supplying water or ice to the dispenser 4 will be explained. A faucet 6 outside of the refrigerator is connected to a water supply valve 7 in the refrigerator through a pipe line 3, with a water filter 5 between the faucet 6 and the water supply valve 7. Outlet of the water supply valve 7 is branched; one connected to an ice maker assembly 20 in the freezing chamber 1 through a pipe line 13 for making ice and the other connected to a water tank 9 through another pipe line 11. The ice maker assembly 20 and the water tank 9 are connected to the dispenser 4 for supplying ice and water, respectively. Thus, the user is allowed to use ice or water at the dispenser 4.
FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively illustrate a disassembled perspective view and a front view of a related art ice maker assembly, referring to which the related art ice maker assembly will be explained.
An ice tray 24, which is supplied of water and produces ice, has a shaft 24a fixed to one side thereof and supported on a bracket 21, and a shaft 22a fixed both to the other side thereof and a driving means 22 with a built-in motor. Thus, the ice tray 24 is rotated as the driving means 22 is driven. And, there is an ice container 30 under the ice tray 24 for keeping the ice made in the ice tray 24. In the meantime, there is an ice checkup lever 26 coupled to another shaft 22b formed at one side of the driving means 22 such that the checkup lever 26 is rotated in a required distance in up and down directions for detecting an amount of the ice in the ice container 30.
The operation of the related art ice maker assembly will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1.about.3. The steps of operation of the ice maker assembly 20 have a water supply step for supplying water to the ice maker assembly 24, a freezing step for freezing water supplied to the ice tray 24, an ice checkup step for sensing an amount of ice in the ice container 30, and an ice transferring step for transferring ice from the ice tray 24 to the ice container 30, which will be explained in detail.
Water flows from the faucet 6 outside of the refrigerator to the ice tray 24 through the filter 5, the valve 7 and the pipeline 13. Upon completion of the water supply step, the ice making step is proceeded for a time period to turn the water supplied to the ice tray 24 into ice. Upon completion of the ice making step, the ice transfer step is proceeded. However, if there is full of ice in the ice container, since no more ice transfer is required, the ice checkup step is proceeded before the ice transfer step, in which an amount of ice in the ice container 30 is sensed. In the ice checkup step, the ice checkup lever 26 is rotated downwardly by a driving force of the motor in the driving means 22. That is, as an extent of rotation of the ice checkup lever 26 is varied with the amount of ice in the ice container 30, the amount of ice in the ice container 30 can be detected by using the extent of rotation. If it is determined that the ice container 30 has a room for storing more ice in the ice checkup step, the ice tray 24 is rotated by the driving means 22, to empty the ice in the ice tray 24 into the ice container 30. Opposite to this, if it is determined that the ice container 30 is full of ice, the ice tray 24 is not rotated, not proceeding the ice transfer step. In such a case, the ice checkup step is conducted again after a preset time period, to detect the amount of ice in the ice container 30, to repeat the aforementioned process according to the result. Upon completion of the ice transfer step, water is supplied to the ice tray 24 again, repeating the aforementioned steps again.
However, the related art ice maker assembly in a refrigerator and the related art method for controlling the same have the following problems.
Once a coupling part of the ice checkup lever 26 and the driving means 22 is frozen, the ice checkup lever 26 becomes not operative properly. For example, if the ice is not used for a prolonged time period at the dispenser 4, the coupling part of the ice checkup lever 26 and the driving means 22 may be frozen, which leads to an improper operation of the ice checkup lever 26, impeding an accurate checkup of ice. As no accurate amount of ice in the ice container 30 is detected, the ice transfer step is proceeded even if there is full of ice in the ice container 30, overflowing the transferred ice from the ice container 30 and dropping down to the freezing chamber.
The inaccuracy in the ice checkup step, not only results in inconvenience in use of the refrigerator, but also deteriorates a reliability of the product.